Beschreibung:

AGY 874 has the most distinguished and remarkable history. It was delivered new in June 1933 to London dealers, Warwick Wright Ltd, at that time fitted with Vanden Plas Body no.3004, a sports touring car, the chassis being to standard Talbot 105 specification, a 3-litre engine driving through a pre-selector gearbox and mounted in the short 9 ft 6 ins chassis. By 1938 the car had been acquired by motor sport enthusiast, Bryan Burton, who lived off Baker Street in London, a competitive driver who had his sights firmly set on racing his Talbot at Brooklands and who designed a lightweight two-seater body to replace the more formal Vanden Plas coachwork so that his Brooklands ambitions could be fulfilled. Burton campaigned the car actively in motor sport throughout 1938 and 1939, fielding it at Donington at a Cambridge University A.C. meeting to good effect and in 1939 won his class at the V.S.C.C. Lewes Sprint driving this car. The faithful Talbot was campaigned actively at Brooklands in 1939 and perhaps its most famous race was the nail-biting Third August Outer-Circuit Handicap race held at Brooklands on 7th August that year. In that 12th race on the card AGY 874 left the start on a 42 second handicap in company with Smith’s Frazer-Nash and Baker’s Graham Paige. Remarkably the 3-litre, six-cylinder Talbot proved a match for the 5.4-litre eight-cylinder Graham Paige, holding it to a tense finish and completed the race in a photo finish, just one-fifth of a second behind, lapping at one stage at 104.19mph. Minds were elsewhere that day and this was to be the last race ever held at Brooklands prior to the outbreak of World War II. In September 1950 Burton’s old car was bought by Dan Margulies for just £265 and its second period of international racing commenced, Margulies actively campaigning the car through to the end of 1952 at such venues as Dundrod, Silverstone, Prescott and Thruxton. The old warrior continued its successful ways and in 1951 achieved no less than three 1sts, two 2nds and four 3rds and that year came second in the first post-war Motor Sport Trophy and then 2nd in the Goodwood Championship in 1952. Margulies sold the car that year to acquire the Rob Walker Delahaye. It was then owned briefly by J Sowerbutts who exchanged the car in 1953 with the present owner for a 3-litre Bentley, the new owner recognising the significantly more sporting capabilities of the Talbot. Following a major engine blow-up in 1953 at Silverstone the engine was rebuilt using a replacement crank obtained from Talbot specialist John Bland Following that rebuild the car covered approximately 10,000 road miles prior to changing hands again in 1955. The car was accident damaged in 1956 and subsequently laid up until 1971 when it was acquired for the second time by its present owner in whose hands it has remained for the last 33 years. In 1999 a major restoration of the car was embarked upon, recognising its important place in motor sport history. Restoration included an engine rebore, the fitting of fully floating, high compression pistons, new valve guides and re-machined valve seats, an overhaul of all ancillaries including dynastart, water pump, Scintilla Vertex magneto, carburettor, petrol pump, etc. The chassis was fully stripped and overhauled, both axles were rebuilt and the gearbox entrusted to Arthur Archer. The front part of the previously accident damaged chassis was replaced with the front part of an identical, rear-damaged chassis, this work being meticulously carried out and the chassis plated inside. The lightweight coachwork was repaired where necessary and repainted in the blue livery in which Burton had originally raced the car, traces of this original paint being carefully matched. All chromework was re-plated, the car was reupholstered and comes equipped with full windscreen as well as aeroscreen and snug weather equipment including hood and side screens. Since restoration the car has covered limited mileage but its owner